Aniversary
by Befantastic
Summary: It's been two years, and despite efforts, Derrick Harrington has yet to get back what he wants most. So he takes it.


Having a slight writers block on my fics, but don't worry it will be temporary.

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"And if you're missing me you better keep it to yourself…"

Taylor Swift

"Does it bother you that he still uses that backpack?" Dylan Marvil innocently asked, as she sat next to her best friend Claire in their high school Cafeteria.

Claire frowned, and looked across the room. Derrick Harrington indeed had the grayish black backpack that she got him for his birthday their freshman year resting against his back. "No." she snorted.

"Right, of course."

"Why don't people believe that I don't care about Derrick or anything about our relationship. Or former relationship."

"Claire, what day is it?" Dylan asked, totally shifting the subject.

"What is with you and these damn questions Dylan?" Claire stared the girl down with her blue eyes.

"Just answer my question." Dylan demanded.

"It's the twenty-fourth, of January. So what?"

"You really don't know?"

"Ask me another question, I dare you."

"I hardly believe that you don't know what today is. Think about it."

Claire scoured her mind trying to find significance. It wasn't Dylan's birthday, Christmas, her parents birthday, or anything. She thought back to previous 24ths, the last one was when she got her license she knew that much.

"Think Bahamas."

Then it hit her. She remembered tan skin returning to New York after a snow storm caused her stay to be extended. She could remember being excited to get back to her bed, school, friends, and Derrick. The pair had hit their year anniversary and were a month into what she hoped to be their second.

But things weren't okay, as she heard murmurs of the New Years Eve party where Derrick was huddled with Massie Block the freshman that she'd been watching, as the girl was a manager during the football season, and was always a little too eager to give him paper cups of water.

_"There are pictures, if you don't believe it." Dylan told her as she stood at her locker the Monday morning that she returned to school._

_"I can't believe it."_

It was slightly shocking to others too. Some were surprised that the steady couple could be rocked by something like unfaithfulness, while others had money on the boy falling for one of the multiple, gorgeous underclassmen.

_"Well now I know why you didn't text me." Claire said forcefully when she confronted him later that day._

Derrick tried to sweet talk her, the way he usually did to avoid conflict, only on that day it wouldn't work. There was evidence. They teetered for a week or so, Claire not sure about her feelings, and Derrick not sure of what he wanted. Yet, Claire always seemed to be able to locate Massie's curly brown hair and annoying yellow sweater around Derrick.

Two years ago today, Claire had broken up with Derrick.

"I don't know why it's relevant." Claire stated.

"Claire, it's been two years and the boy is still stuck to you like glue!"

"More like a blood sucking leech." She sighed.

"You love it. You love him."

Claire looked at Dylan funnily again. "Derrick Harrington hasn't done anything to make me 'love' him in a long, long, long, time."

"That's why most people still think you two are still dating."

"Mind you, Dylan," Claire told the redhead as she stood up from the cafeteria seat, "I tried to move on from Harrington. He ruined both of my dates."

Dylan seemed to take joy in reflecting back to when Derrick showed up alone, to watch the romance movie Claire was seeing with her potential new boyfriend. Or, how he called her a record breaking hundred times, interrupting her put-put date.

"You know he misses you." Dylan stood herself to head out of the cafeteria.

"Whatever."

As if he felt summoned, the boy, along with his friends Josh and Cam fumbled towards the opened doors that the two girls were making their way towards. The boys themselves where a key fixture in the room, they were the token three best friends. The girls at the school often whispered about how each guy had something special for every girl. Josh was a soccer star and had brown hair, and Cam swam and had black hair. Derrick was the blonde, the football player, basketball star, soccer star. He was everything, often making him the target to more female attention to his friends.

Claire knew that all to well.

"Claire, Dylie." Cam exclaimed plopping his hands on Dylan's shoulders.

"Hi guys." Dylan, the much more welcoming of the group, smiled brightly.

"The unholy trinity." Claire said dryly, trying to walk away.

"You seem a little, on edge Claire." Josh chuckled, catching the blonde's mood.

"Only slightly"

Derrick circled around the group to situated himself next to the blonde. "Aw, Claire you didn't think I forget did you?"

_Oh god._

"Happy anniversary!" Derrick whispered in to her ear, causing her cringe.

"Get away from me."

"Wait, does anybody remember this time Sophomore year?" Cam, asked the group.

Claire's nerves were being grated by the question, and Dylan was eager to answer. "I know! It's somebody's breakup anniversary."

"See!" Derrick poked her, "Everyone remembered."

That was what made Derrick unbearable. He and his friends, and almost everyone else in the universe, seemed to make it their job to remind Claire of their year long relationship.

"You people are unbearable." Claire yelled, walking away as quickly as she could.

All she wanted was Derrick Harrington out of her life and even the minimal feelings she had left over for the boy weren't enough to make her change her mind. Derrick's constant efforts to worm his way back into her life, in Claire's honest opinion, were his attempt to fix his ruined pride. He had only kept interest in the girl because she had walked away from him and was the only girl to ever do it. It was born from some macho bull that she had no intentions to be a part of. But even if it wasn't the case, he had a lot to prove to her.

But avoiding Derrick had become impossible when his friends were her friends too, and with Cam and Josh alternated between who got to be the object of Dylan's affections, the friendship was nowhere close to being over. The intertwined group almost guarrennteed that Claire would have to spend time with her former boyfriend. He was most likely going to tag along on group outings, like the one that was planned for later that night. Josh had offered Claire a ride to Dylan and Cam's swim meet, and while he didn't say it, he could only assume that Derrick would be right there with him.

With that thought in her mind, when Claire heard the baritone of her doorbell, she was filled with dread.

"Mom! Door?" Claire screeched as she fixed up her face, and grabbed her purse from her desk.

"Claire?" her mother, yelled before Claire could even get to her foyer, "Derrick's here."

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Derrick is not the only person-" Claire stopped talking when she finally saw her opened front door, and Derrick standing there. Alone.

"He's here at the door." Mrs. Lyons said.

"Oh my god." she said as she saw the boy waiting at her door, flashing her back to a myriad of dates, before snapping back to the present, "You're sickening."

"Claire! That's not nice!" Her mother exclaimed. Claire gave her mom a sorry look, and her mom gave her a sly smile as she walked away.

"Nice seeing you again, Mrs. Lyon's!" Derrick hollered as he walked into the house.

"I didn't invite you in. I didn't invite you out. But let me guess, Josh asked you to come long?" Claire babbled as she reached her foyer.

"Nope."

"So you're here because?" the shorter blonde asked as she got her plum jacket from a closet.

"I'm taking you out. It is our anniversary."

Shocked by the confidence, tickled by the confidence, Claire looked at the boy. "You really aren't right up there." she tapped her head.

"Come on Claire Bear." Derrick took her hand. It was the first time that they had touched hands since breaking up. It made her fingers tingle and a heat of nervousness over take her.

Not liking that feeling she shook her head, "I told my friends that I'd go to their swim meet."

Derrick cracked a smile, "We have the same friends? Remember? And they'll be okay, trust me."

"Yes because I totally trust someone who cheated on me." she crossed her arms.

"I really didn't want to drag you Claire," the boy sighed, "It totally makes this unromantic."

Almost instantly, Claire felt her body being dragged towards her door.

"Mom!" Claire yelped, "I'm being kidnapped!"

Claire heard a chuckle, before her Mom replied, "Have fun honey!"

"You got my mom too?"

"She loves me." Derrick drew out his words, as he led his date out of her home.

"Whatever," Claire giggled, against her will. "Where are you taking me?"

"That, is a surprise."


End file.
